Man United didn’t need to be at their best to defeat West Ham last night, and that’s largely down to the lack of attacking threat that the Hammers had on the pitch.
It’s all well and good to have several creative players who can open up space, but you still need a proper focal point to occupy the defenders and bring others into the game high up the pitch.
David Moyes didn’t get a replacement for Sebastian Haller in the January transfer window which is madness when you consider the club are pushing for a Champions League place, but there is still time to rectify that.
A report from Hammers News has indicated that the club are now looking to bring in a free agent striker – something that may have been hastened by seeing that young prospect Mipo Odubeko is still some way off first team standard.
The main target appears to be former Chelsea star Diego Costa – he’s a big name and it would be an intriguing one, but there’s a reason that Atletico Madrid agreed to release him so it won’t be the prime version that would turn up.
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The other two names mentioned are Daniel Sturridge who has Premier League pedigree but he’s short of match practice, or Ahmed Musa who would bring some serious pace to the team but he’s usually deployed as a winger rather than a focal point through the middle.
It does now look like West Ham will be forced to bring someone in, but time will tell if they can really make a difference.